


Part of Your World

by SmilesRawesome



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), The Flash - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, But it’s gonna have..... more angst, Fluff and Angst, Little Mermaid AU, M/M, its not so prevalent in the first chapter but whatever there will be ANGST, reverse batfam, this fic is a birthday present for my wonderful friend!!!!!, whom I love sm!!!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 15:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14772132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilesRawesome/pseuds/SmilesRawesome
Summary: Dick has always longed to be above water, to be human and explore all the things that humans know. The gorgeous man he falls in love with is just icing on top of the cake. The sea witch offers him a deal, and he takes it.OR: the Birdflash Little Mermaid AU with angst.





	Part of Your World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lanestreets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanestreets/gifts).



> God this title is so fucking cliche for a little mermaid au but whatever. Fucking. Whatever okay??? 
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORGAN!!!!!! I love you sm I hope you enjoy this!!!! 
> 
> Oh also, R.I.P. Kaldur. He’s not dead I just had to kill his characterisation bc I needed someone to be flounder lmao.

Dick tugged on Kaldur’s fin, swimming towards the human wreck.   
“Come on!” He insisted, grinning as a shimmer of light illuminated the sunken boat. Oh, he was _totally_ gonna find some cool shit in there!   
“I don’t know, Dick.” His friend said, chewing on his lip as he hovered outside the ship they planned to explore. Dick rolled his eyes, swimming towards the boat and turning back around to face him.   
“Whatever.”

  
“It’s just that- it looks dark in there. And I’ve got this… cough. Yeah, like I’m coming down with something.” Kaldur have a few fake coughs which made Dick laugh.   
“You just don’t want Arthur to get mad at you.” He accused, knowing he was right, but shrugged.   
“But okay, sure. I’ll go in, and you can keep watch for sharks.” He teased, laughing as Kaldur sputtered and followed him into the boat, punching his shoulder.

  
Dick laughed yet again, nudging him back.   
“Don’t be such a guppy.”   
“I’m not a guppy.” Kaldur replied grumpily, swimming just behind Dick and looking around, curiosity getting the better of him.   
“Are there really sharks in this area though?” Kaldur asked, before happening upon a human skeleton. Shocked, he yelped and swum backwards, knocking into some old wood and making it fall apart. Dick grabbed him and pulled him out of the way, checking him over carefully.   
“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly, concerned until a new opening above them distracted him.   
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. I just wasn’t expect-“   
“Shh!”

  
Kaldur frowned at Dick as he swam upwards, following him diligently.   
“Holy shiny stuff! Isn’t this the most wonderful thing you’ve ever seen!” Dick asked him, holding up what looked like a tiny silver trident.   
“Oh cool! But… what is it?” Kaldur asked, frowning slightly. Dick shrugged, putting it in his bag.   
“I don’t know, but I bet Gar will!” He answered excitedly, swimming towards something else he’d spotted. Kaldur saw a shadow in the corner of his eye, turning to try and see what it was.   
“Uhh, Dick…”   
“Oh will you relax! Nothing is going to happen.”

  
The shadow made itself clearer as it came straight for them.   
“Dick! Swim!” Kaldur commanded, getting out of the way just in time as the shark’s jaws snapped shut. He grabbed Dick’s arm on his way past, both of them swimming as fast as they could. They could hear and feel the animal getting closer, when Dick dropped his bag.   
“Wait!” Dick called, tugging his arm out of Kaldur’s grasp.   
“Dick are you insane!”

  
Dick snatched the bag up, just in time for the shark’s jaws to snap just where it had been a second ago. Swimming again, they could feel the creature right on their fins as they circled around the ship, trying to find a way out of this mess. Kaldur dived lower, and Dick followed on instinct. Kaldur knew what he was doing in the water. Swimming through a narrow opening of an anchor, the shark followed and-

  
Got stuck.

  
Dick laughed, while Kaldur tried to catch his breath.   
“You’re a nightmare. Why are we friends?” He asked, making Dick laugh harder.   
“Oh, you love me. Now let’s go see Gar, I wanna learn what I’ve got here.” He beamed, starting to swim towards the surface. Kaldur rolled his eyes but followed, quickly catching up to him.

  
“Why are you still so obsessed with the humans? Like, when we were kids I understood. They were fascinating and strange, but still now? When you know how dangerous they are?” Kaldur questioned, raising an eyebrow as Dick just got a dreamy look on his face.   
“But they are fascinating! And they’re hardly dangerous. I mean, sure they eat fish and stuff, and that’s… not great. But they’re able to come up with so many wonderful things to help them with their life on the surface, and then they come up with more wonderful things to make using the first things easier! I mean, how amazing is that! They can walk and jump and _dance_! Oh, I’d love to know how to dance!” He twirled a few times as he swam, giggling slightly as he daydreamed. Kaldur sighed, but knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this right now.

  
Breaking the surface of the water, they pulled themselves up onto Gar’s rock, where the seagull was singing to himself.   
“Gar! Hey Gar!” Dick called, waving excitedly.   
“Woah, mermaid off the port bow! Hey hey, what’s happening guys?!” Gar called back, waving a wing from his perch from the top.   
“Check out this stuff we got! I found another shipwreck and-“   
“Oh, human stuff? Let me see!” Gar fluttered down to their level, digging through the bag and pulling out the small trident like thing.   
“Look at this. Wow, this is special! This is very, very unusual.”   
“What is it?!” Dick asked, practically vibrating with excitement, even Kaldur was leaning closer, curiosity getting the better of him.   
“It’s a _dinglehopper_!”

  
“Woah.” Dick and Kaldur breathed at the same time, staring at the small silver object.   
“Humans use these little babies to straighten their hair out. See, just a little twirl here and a yank there and boy oh boy you’ve got an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over!” Gar explained, grinning as he handed the dinglehopper back to a giggling Dick.   
“A dinglehopper.” He breathed, taking it in.   
“What about this other thing?” Kaldur asked, gesturing to the curvy wooden object Dick had found. Gar looked down and picked it up, examining it.   
“Oh this, this… I haven’t seen in years, this is _wonderful_! A Bandus Bolbus Snarflack.”

  
“Wow.” Dick gasped, leaning up on the rock. “What does it do?”   
“Well the snarflack dates back to prehistorical times when humans used to sit around and stare at each other. All day. Got very boring. So they used this to make music!” Gar explained happily, bringing the object to his beak to try and demonstrate. But the subject of music reminded Dick of his duties and he groaned.   
“Oh no, the ball.”   
“Shit.”   
“I am so dead. I’m totally late!” Dick exclaimed, grabbing his things and putting them back into the bag. “I’m sorry, Gar, I’ve gotta go. Thanks again!”   
“Anytime, Dickie! Anytime!” Gar replied, nonplused at the sudden departure.

  
Dick and Kaldur hurriedly started swimming back to Atlantica, unaware of the eel intently watching them.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Bruce sighed, watching his youngest child squirm uncomfortably.   
“I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you, Dick.” He said sternly.   
“Dad I’m sorry, I just forgot-“   
“As a result of your careless behaviour-“   
“Careless and _reckless_ behaviour!” Hal interrupted, his tiny head poking out between the points of Bruce’s crown.   
“The entire celebration was-“   
“Ruined!” Hal interrupted again. “Completely destroyed, that’s what it was! This ball was meant to be the pinnacle of Atlantica’s pride, and now thanks to you, I’m the laughing stock of the whole kingdom!”

  
“It wasn’t his fault!” Kaldur defended from the side of the room, swimming forward so he was next to Dick. He wavered slightly under the full glare of Bruce, but continued on regardless. “There was this shark and- yeah. We tried to… but we couldn’t. And it attacked us, but it got stuck and then we were safe. Then a seagull came and it was all ‘this is this and that is that’-“   
“A seagull?!” Bruce asked, shocked, then frowned as Dick shot Kaldur a look.   
“Oh my- you went up to the surface again, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”

  
Dick smiled guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck.   
“Nothing… happened.” He tried to reason.   
“Oh, Dick, how many times do we have to go _through_ this?! You could have been seen by one of those barbarians! By one of those- those humans!”   
“They’re not barbarians!” Dick defended, arms tense as he forced himself not to ball his hands into fists.   
“They’re dangerous! Do you think I want to see my youngest child snared on a fish-eaters hook?” Bruce asked, trying to place a hand on Dick’s shoulder, but Dick pulled away from his touch.   
“I’m eighteen years old, I’m not a child!” He snapped, making Bruce growl.   
“ _Don’t_ you take that tone of voice with me! As long as you live in _my_ ocean, you will obey my rules!” Bruce snapped back, his voice growing louder and louder.   
“If you would just _listen_ -“   
“Not another word! And I am never, _never_ to hear of you going to the surface again! Is that clear?!” Bruce yelled, glaring angrily down at Dick.

  
Dick curled in on himself under that gaze. He’d been in trouble before, sure, but his father had never been _truly_ angry at him. He nodded once just to get away, turning and swimming rapidly towards where he’d left his bag hidden, Kaldur following him.

  
All the anger leached out of Bruce with a sigh as he sat back on his throne, holding his head in his hand.   
“Teenagers.” Hal sighed, rolling his eyes. “They think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you.”   
“Do you think I was too hard on him?” Bruce asked, looking over at his advisor.   
“With all due respect, hell no, sir. If that was my kid, I’d show him who was boss. None of this ‘fleeing to the surface’ and whatever other nonsense. No sir-ee. I’d keep him under _tight_ control.” Hal ranted, openly still annoyed at Dick. Bruce smirked slightly, an idea popping into his head.   
“You’re absolutely right, Hal. Dick needs constant supervision.”   
“Of course I am.”   
“And you’re just the crab to do it.” Bruce finished, tapping his shell with one finger.

  
Hal blinked at him and swallowed.   
“I- uh- yes… your majesty.” He answered haltingly, obviously against the idea but not daring to actually counter the king under a direct order. He scuttled off after Dick and Kaldur, leaving Bruce seemingly alone, until Arthur came out of the shadows.

  
“You had to have known something was going to happen with the two of them together.” Arthur said, leaning on the side of Bruce’s throne with a smirk. Bruce rolled his eyes at the blonde, leaning back with a sigh.   
“He _is_ an adult now. I thought he’d be able to handle the responsibility of _showing up to a party_.” He groaned, making Arthur laugh. Bruce pushed him off his throne and made an annoyed grunt in his direction.   
“Oh, go back to Atlantis.”

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Dick and Kaldur slid the rock back from the entrance of Dick’s hideout, and the brunette silently swam over to where his other two silver trinkets were displayed, placing the dinglehopper on the empty middle point.   
“Dick, are you okay?” Kaldur asked, placing a hand on his friends shoulder. Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair.   
“I just… I wish I could make him understand.” He started, still looking at the dinglehopper. “I just don’t see things the way he does. I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things… could be bad.”

  
He gestured around the cave to the rest of his collection. “I mean, look at all this stuff! Isn’t it neat?! You’d think I’d have all I want but… I don’t. I want _more_ , Kal. I’ve got gadgets and gizmos, I’ve got whos-its and what-its galore! I’ve got twenty thing-a-ma-bobs! But I just… I still want _more_ than this…” Dick looked around, swimming higher into the cavern to look at some of his more precious finds. “I… Kaldur… I wanna be where the people are. I wanna see… I wanna see them _dancing_! Walking on those… uh, what are they called? Oh, feet. Fins are great and all but _legs_ , they can jump, dance, strolling down a… street! Up there they walk! Up there they run! Up there they _stay all day in the sun_!” Dick laughed, looking up towards the surface. “Wondering free. I just. I wish I could be… part of that world. Shit, what would I give if I could be up there, spend a day warm on the sand…”

  
He giggled again as he sunk down to the floor, wiggling in the sand there. He turned serious for a moment, sighing. “I bet on land they understand the need to explore, to know _more_ about what they don’t know.” Suddenly lighthearted again, Dick pushed himself towards the flip-a-jigs. “I’m ready to know what the people know! Ask them all my questions, and _get some answers_! Like, what’s a fire? And why does it… oh, what’s the word… burn?! When’s it _my_ turn? Wouldn’t I just _love_ to explore that shore up above?! Out of the sea… just… be a part of that world…”

  
There was a sudden crash, a bunch of items falling out of place to reveal a familiar crab tangled up in them.   
“Hal.” Dick gasped, fear lancing through his chest. Kaldur swam forward to untangle him, biting his lip.   
“Dick.” Hal started calmly, taking a deep breath. “What the hell is all this?!” He yelled, gesturing his claws around.   
“No, you don’t understand it’s just my… collection.” Dick explained, running a hand through his hair nervously.   
“Oh I see. Your collection.” Hal said calmly again. “If your father knew about this place-!” He snapped, interrupted by Kaldur.   
“You’re not gonna tell him, are you?” The blonde asked worriedly.

  
“Oh, please don’t, Hal. He’ll never understand.” Dick pleaded, eyes wide at the thought of losing his one place he could truly be himself. Hal sighed, making a calming gesture.   
“Dick, there’s obviously a lot of pressure down here. Let’s get you back home, get you something to eat, and we can talk about this.” As he spoke, a shadow passed over the cave, making Dick look up. Something was passing by on the surface.   
“What’s that?” He asked absently, already swimming up towards it.

  
It was a human boat, but one that was working. Sailing through the water rather than sinking into it. Colourful lights flashed into the sky with loud crashes. It was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen in his whole life. Ignoring the calls of the others behind him, he made for the ship, pulling himself up its side and peering through a gap in the wood to see what the humans were doing. He couldn’t help but gape at the sight. Humans laughing and singing and _dancing_ , just like he’d always wanted.

  
A fuzzy animal came over to see him, licking the side of his face. Dick laughed, hiding as a human approached.   
“Ace, Ace come on, buddy! Away from the edge there.” A voice laughed, pulling the animal away. Dick risked a look, his jaw dropping as he laid eyes on the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. His skin was dark brown, glowing in the lights hung up around the ship. His eyes sparkled, and his hair was the brightest red he’d ever seen, shining even brighter than the lights around them. Dick watched the man dance with the fuzzy animal, watched him help up another man that had fallen over, watched him offer something called ‘drink’ to others. He was so kind to these other humans, and with each kind action, Dick fell a little more in love with him.

  
“Hey, Dickie! Whatcha doing here, pal?” Gar called, flying just by his shoulder. Dick grabbed him by the beak and shushed him.   
“You’ll draw attention to me.” He hissed.   
“Oh, right. Sorry. Whatcha doing, anyway?” The bird asked, peering in at the goings-on of the ship.  
“I’ve never seen a human so close before. He’s so… handsome.” He sighed, resting his head in his hand.   
“Looks kinda… furry and slobbery to me.” Gar replied, cocking his head to the side. Dick laughed, lifting Gar’s head to see the one he meant.   
“No, silly. That one.”   
“Oh, yeah. I guess so.”

  
“Silence, silence! It is now my honour and esteemed privilege to present our dearest Prince Wally with a very expensive, very large present.” An older human called out, gesturing to a large mass wrapped in some strange type of shiny red seaweed. The man, Wally, chuckled slightly.   
“Aw, Jay, you old beanpole! You shouldn’t have.”   
“I know.” Jay teased, raising an eyebrow at his young charge. “Happy birthday, Wally.” The older man continued, while one of the other men pulled the sheet off the mass, revealing a giant statue of Wally.   
“Oh, gee, Jay. It’s… really something.” Wally said, blinking up at the thing.   
“Yes, I commissioned it myself. Though I _had_ hoped it would be a wedding present.”

  
Wally laughed uncomfortably, walking over towards the edge of the ship. Dick ducked down out of the way as to not be seen, but couldn’t resist staring at Wally while he was so close.   
“You’re not still mad about the Princess of Gloria, are you?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at him.   
“It’s not just me, Wally. You know the whole kingdom wants you to settle down.” Jay replied, voice firm about it, but kind. Wally sighed, looking out over the ocean.   
“I’ll find someone, Jay, I will. When I do… it’ll be like lightning.”

  
As an unfortunate coincidence, right as he said that, actual lightning struck nearby, the waves very suddenly becoming larger. The men scrambled around the ship to prepare for the sudden storm, tying things away as best they could with water starting to come aboard. Dick took the chance to jump off, back into the safety of the water, but stayed nearby and watched. Lightning struck the boat, quickly setting it aflame. The men escaped into smaller boats, but the older man fell into the water. Wally was leaning over the side of the small boat, desperately searching the water.   
“Jay! Jay! Jay where are you?!” But his voice hardly carried in the wind, no matter how loud or desperate he was. Just when he was about to give up, he saw a hand reaching out of the waves, and he pointed his men in the right direction. The older man was pulled out of the water, and Wally hugged him close. Dick couldn’t hear what they were saying to each other anymore.

  
What he could hear, however, was the small fuzzy animal still on the main ship, trapped there by flames eating away at the oiled wood. Seemingly without a second thought, Wally jumped into the water and went back, climbing onto the burning ship and saving the fuzzy creature, throwing him to the water for the men in the small boat to grab. Dick watched as Wally got caught on something, and the tall part of the ship snapped, breaking the boat apart, followed by an explosion of light and heat even louder than any other tonight. The ship was in pieces, and Wally… Wally wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  
Dick didn’t hesitate in getting closer, diving just under the surface of the waves to see Wally sinking in the water. Humans couldn’t breathe in water, that much Dick knew. He grabbed him and tugged the unconscious man to the surface, holding an arm around his chest to keep his head above the water. The waves had already separated the small boat of men from them, so Dick started swimming through the storm. He had to get Wally back to shore. He wasn’t going to be responsible for this man drowning.

  
After a few miles, the storm let up, but the shore was still miles away. Dick carried on, not caring a bit about how tired he was, how sore his arms got. He didn’t care about his father's rules, this was a _good man_. He’d seen as much in just the short time he’d been watching him. No matter what his dad said about letting sailors be, he was not going to let that fate come to Wally.

  
Finally, just as the sun was beginning to rise, the shore came into view. Dick almost cried in relief. Humans were _heavy_ , and he had been swimming for _hours_ now. Dragging them both up onto the sand was a bit of a feat. Sand and fins didn’t go to well together. Gar came by then, and Dick swallowed as he looked at the still form.   
“Is he… is he dead?” He asked, not knowing how to tell. Gar hopped down to the bottom of the mans legs, pressing his head to one of his feet.   
“I… I can’t hear a heart beat.”

  
Dick’s own heart clenched as he looked back up at Wally’s face, before letting out a sigh of relief.   
“No, no look! He’s breathing!” He said happily, moving a lock of hair out of his forehead and tracing a finger over his cheek.   
“He’s so beautiful.” He whispered to himself, before feeling something deep in his chest. He’d heard about this, an old forgotten siren instinct from times long passed that their people hardly used anymore, the urge to sing to one they were falling in love with, in hopes of catching their attention. Not having anything to lose, as Wally was still unconscious, Dick gave into it.

  
“ _What would I give / To live where you are? / What would I pay / To stay here beside you? / What would I do to see you / Smiling at me?_

_Where would we walk? / Where would we run? / If we could stay all day in the sun? / Just you and me / And I could be / Part of your world…_ ”

  
Wally started blinking his eyes open towards the end of his song, a hand reaching up to touch his face. But the sounds of the fuzzy animal of the ship and a few human voices sounded, making Dick panic and leap back into the ocean. He hid behind a rock, surprised to find Kaldur and Hal waiting for him there. He watched as the fuzzy animal and the man Jay found Wally, speaking for a few moments before walking back to where the humans live. Once they were gone and Dick’s panic left, the rest of his song took over again, and he pushed himself up high on the rock to watch Wally for as long as he could.

  
“ _I don't know when / I don't know how / But I know something's starting right now / Watch and you'll see / Some day I'll be / Part of your world_.”

  
Dick was so taken, he didn’t even notice Hal talking about keeping this a secret, nor the secretive eel watching him again.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
“Dickie? Come on, man. You’ve been in there for hours!” Jason called, knocking on the wall to Dick’s bedroom. The rest of their siblings were gathered in the shared living room, the doors to each of their rooms around the wall. Dick was normally one of the first of them out there, and they’ve heard him moving around his room.   
“Dick?”

  
The brother in question suddenly glided out of his room, a dreamy look on his face as he hummed to himself. He grabbed one of the flowers Alfred had put in a vase that morning, admiring it for a moment before placing it in his hair.   
“Good morning everyone!” Dick greeted happily, swimming around to get hugs from his siblings, kissing the cheeks of those who would allow that.   
“Isn’t today great!” He laughed, floating around the top of the room.

  
“Did you have plans for today, Richard?” Damian asked, raising an eyebrow at his youngest siblings odd behaviour. Richard was normally one of the happiest amongst them, but this level of sheer euphoria was… it was just strange. Damian was always protective of his family, and as the oldest sibling it was his job to check in with them all.   
“Nah, it’s just…” Dick trailed off, humming again. “Just a really good day.” He sighed happily.

  
Jason snorted, rolling his eyes.   
“Whatever. Tim and I are heading to the coral reef later, you wanna come with?” He asked, also secretly trying to gauge what was going on.   
“No thanks.” Dick answered, taking another flower and pulling the petals off of it slowly.

  
They all shared looks between themselves. Dick almost never passed up an opportunity to go to the reef. Luckily, Stephanie had an inkling as to what was going on, seeing the way Dick plucked at the flower.   
“So, even though you didn’t show to the ball, we’ve had a lot of guests in the kingdom recently. Have you met anyone new?” She asked with a smirk, the gesture transforming into a grin as Dick’s cheeks coloured, and he hid his face in a new flower.   
“No, actually, I haven’t.” He denied, but they could all tell he was lying.

  
Bruce came into the room, and Dick grinned as he swam over and hugged him.   
“Good morning, dad.” He beamed, placing the flower in Bruce’s hair before swimming off, humming to himself again.   
“Good… morning?” Bruce greeted back, just a bit too late. Steph and Tim laughed while Cass smiled fondly after her brother.

  
“He’s got it bad.” Duke piped up, shaking his head.   
“What?” Bruce asked, frowning at the rest of his children.   
“Isn’t it obvious, father?” Damian asked, while Jason snicked.   
“Is what obvious?”   
“Dickie’s in love.” Tim answered, grinning widely at the thought.

  
Bruce blinked in surprise, pulling the flower from his hair.   
“Dickie’s… in love?”

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Dick hummed over his current flower, ignoring Hal’s mutterings as he paced below him.   
“He loves me… he loves me not, ugh… he loves me… he loves me not… oh, he loves me! I knew it!” Dick giggled to himself, unable to contain his giddiness. He’d never been so happy before. Just the thought of seeing Wally again was…

  
“I’ve got to see him again.” He said suddenly, sitting up from his rock. Hal’s attention was on him again at that statement.   
“What?!”   
“Tonight! Gar knows where he lives!” Dick continued, pretending he hadn’t heard the crab, making plans as he swam in circles and ignored the way Hal grabbed his tail to try and stop him.   
“I’ll swim up to his castle, then Kaldur and I can splash around to get his attention!”   
“Will you stop talking crazy for a minute!” Hal snapped, getting up in Dick’s face. He sighed, gesturing for Dick to sit back on the rock he was on.

  
“Look, the human world, it’s a mess. Life under the sea is way better than anything up there!” Hal said, gesturing around the life filled meadow around them. He started listing things about the ocean that were great, started gathering random people around them into giving their own testimonies about how great everything was down here. Kaldur joined them in the middle of everything, gesturing to Dick to come with him. Making sure that Hal was properly distracted with the crowd, Dick swam off with his friend, eager to get away from his supervision. There were better things to be doing.

  
Like planning how he was going to see Wally again.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Hal was dead. He was dead. He was so. Fucking. Dead. Bruce didn’t even look mad, which was even _more_ terrifying than if he _was_ looking mad. He knew. He’d found out about Dick and that human boy and now Hal was about to fucking die.

  
Bruce cleared his throat.   
“Come in, Hal.” He called, making Hal squeak. He took a deep breath, before psyching himself up.   
“Just gotta keep calm.” He said to himself, walking forwards towards Bruce’s throne.   
“ _Yes_ -“ He squeaked again, before clearing his throat. “Yes, your majesty?”   
“Hal, I’m concerned about Dick.” Bruce started, turning to fiddle slightly with his trident. “Have you noticed he’s been acting peculiar lately?”   
“Oh, uh, peculiar?”   
“You know, mooning about, day dreaming, _singing_ to himself? You haven’t noticed, hm?”

  
Bruce raised an eyebrow at him, and fuck everything he was so fucking dead.   
“Oh- well- I-“   
“Hal.” Bruce said warningly, gesturing Hal forward. He did as he was told as the merman continued. “I know you’ve been keeping something from me.”   
“Keeping… something?” Hal tried to fluke, swallowing thickly.   
“About Dick?”  
“About… Dick?”   
“In love, hm?”

  
Hal lost it, letting out a wail.   
“I tried to stop him, sir! He wouldn’t listen! I told him to stay away from humans! They are bad! They are trouble! They are-“   
“Humans?” Bruce interrupted, pushing himself upright and suddenly looking furious. “ _What about humans_?!”

  
Oh fuck. Hal was dead.   
“Humans…? Who said anything about humans?” He tried to backpedal, but it was too late. Bruce took him in his hand and held him close.   
“ _Where is my son_?” He growled, and as much as Hal loved Dick, he had to tell Bruce.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
“Kalduuuuuur! Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?!” Dick whined as they headed into the cave, following his friend.   
“You’ll see in a second.” Kaldur laughed. “It’s a surprise.” They entered the main part of the cavern and Dick gasped, staring at the new addition. The statue of Wally from the boat.   
“Oh, Kal… Kal, you’re the best!” He yelled happily, giving his friend a tight hug before rushing to the statue to examine it. “It looks just like him! Even his eyes are perfect…” He giggled, grinning to himself as he rested his head on the statues shoulder. “Oh Wally, run away with you? But this is all so… _sudden_.” He giggled again, twirling with happiness until his eyes caught a figure at the entrance.

  
He gasped, swimming back a bit in shock.   
“D- dad.” He stuttered, his eyes wide with fear. He’d never seen his father so angry in his whole life.   
“I consider myself to be a reasonable merman.” Bruce began lowly, while Kaldur went and hid in a back corner. Not that Dick blamed him, he didn’t want to be caught here either. “I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be _obeyed_.”   
“But- dad- I-“   
“Is it true you rescued a human from _drowning_?”   
“Dad I _had to_.”   
“Interaction between the human world and the mer world is strictly forbidden! Dick, you know that! Everyone knows that!”   
“He would’ve died!”   
“One less human to worry about!”

  
Dick bristled.   
“You don’t even know him!” He snapped, back against the statue, half protectively and half to draw strength from.   
“ _Know him_?! I don’t _have_ to know him! They’re all the same! Spineless savage harpooning fish eaters, incapable of any feeling!” Bruce yelled on, and Dick couldn’t take it.   
“Daddy I love him!” He yelled, then gasped as he realised just what he’d revealed. Bruce stopped short in surprise for just a moment, before shaking his head.   
“No… have you _lost your mind_?! He’s a human! You’re a mermaid!”   
“I don’t care.” Dick whimpered, trying to stay strong under such vast amounts of his father’s anger.

  
Bruce growled, his trident starting to glow.   
“So help me Dick, I am _going_ to get through to you! And if this is the only way…” the trident glowed brighter, and Dick swam back in fear of the magic. “ _So be it_.” He started gesturing to the objects around him, ignoring Dick’s protests as he destroyed each and every one of them. The statue was last, easily able to stop Dick’s tugging hands, a sharp cry of “ _Dad, no_!” going ignored yet again as it was blasted to pieces.

  
Dick gasped as Bruce finally finished with his destruction, bursting into tears at the sight of all his most treasured possessions shattered around him. He sank down to the floor, helplessly picking up shards and trying to see if he could maybe piece something back together. Bruce was silent behind him for a few moments, before leaving without a word, while Dick just collapsed and sobbed his heart out.

  
“Dick… I…” Hal’s voice spoke up suddenly, but he didn’t look up from where his head rested in his arms.   
“Just go away.” He managed to hiss out. He heard his friends leave and let himself cry harder, his heart _aching_ with pain. His sanctuary was destroyed, his father hated him, and one of his friends was a traitor. He would never again see the love of his life. He couldn’t even pretend anymore.

  
“Aww, poor little sugar.” A high pitched voice sounded above him, causing Dick to look up, staring at the eel that had interrupted him sobbing. “Yous got such a serious problem, if only there was somethin’ I could do for ya. Oh, I forgot! There is!” The eel giggled, and Dick swallowed thickly.   
“Who- who are you?”   
“Aw, no need to be scared! I’m Harley, I represent someone who can help ya! Someone who can make all ya dreams come true. Can’t ya picture it, cutie? You and ya prince, together, _forever_?”

  
Dick frowned, shaking his head slightly.   
“I don’t understand…”   
“Mistah J has great powers.” Harley said, smirking at him.   
“The sea witch?” Dick asked in shock. “But that’s- I couldn’t possibly- no! Get out of here! Leave me alone!” He snapped, turning away.   
“Suit yaself. It was only an idea, sugar.” A clattering sound followed the statement, and Dick looked down to see Wally’s face, somehow unbroken, looking up at him in stone.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Kaldur and Hal were waiting for him outside the cave, and he spotted them as they slipped out the back entrance. Part of him was comforted, but a larger part of him was annoyed. Hal was the reason his father found his cave, why would he think Dick wanted to see him? Unfortunately, Kaldur spotted them swimming away and called out to him, but he ignored them until they caught up with him.

  
“Dick, Dick, where are you going?” Kaldur asked, eyeing the eel warily.   
“I’m going to see Joker.” Dick said haughtily, refusing to look at him. Hal gasped, grabbing onto his tail.   
“Dick, no! He’s a demon! He’s a monster!” He insisted, but Dick just flicked him off his tail.   
“Why don’t you go tell my father, you’re good at that.” He replied savagely, his anger and hurt still fresh enough to not regret what he was saying. Hal floundered for a moment, but just sighed, following Harley and Dick with Kaldur by his side. They weren’t going to leave Dick alone.

  
The sea witch lived in the skeleton of a dead whale, and Dick felt a pinch of hesitancy as he approached. He’d already come this far, however. He wasn’t turning back now. Entering the makeshift cave, he got caught up by these strange creatures, almost as if they were living seaweed. A cackle sounded, as a large figure drifted forward from the shadows.

  
“Come in, come in! No need to be so shy! It’s just little old me here!” Joker greeted with a wide grin, and Dick pushed himself forward, out of the reach of those strange creatures. “Now, my Harley’s bought you here because you’ve got a thing for that little human princey! Quite a catch, hmm? Well, I can help you with that. Give you a nice little pair o’ legs to help you nab your man!”

  
Dick blinked, staring at the octopus that never seemed to stop grinning.   
“Can… can you _do_ that?” He asked, making Joker cackle again.   
“My dear, sweet little angel fish! That’s what I _do_. It’s what I _live_ for. To help poor unfortunate merfolk, like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to.” Joker cackled again, and the sound had Dick’s hair standing on end.   
“Now, I’ll admit that in the past I’ve been… a bit of a nasty guy, eh? But these days I’m _all_ about _helping_ people! Made a switch to the light and all that jazz. I also got my magic at hand, use to help the poor suckers! They wanna be thinner or they want the girl and bing bang boom they got their wish! Sometimes the poor dear can’t pay my price, and I gotta get some compensation, but that’s just business, ain’t it?” Joker wrapped an arm around Dick’s shoulders, pulling him towards a cauldron.

  
“Now, here's the deal, kid. I will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days. Now listen, this is the important part! Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear ol' princey boy to fall in love with you! That is, he's got to kiss you. But not just any kiss, the kiss of _true love_. If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human, _permanently_ , but if he doesn't… you’ll turn back into a pretty little mermaid, and belong to _me_.” Joker hissed, producing a contract from thin air. Dick was certainly tempted, but…

  
“If I’m human, I’ll never be with my family again…” He murmured, chewing on his lip, while Joker barked with laughter again.   
“Well, that’s true. But… you’ll have your man. Your Prince Charming, your true love…” Joker said, and Dick felt himself agreeing with him more and more, but unsure as to why.

  
“There _is_ something else, angel fish. We haven’t talked payment yet.”   
“I- I don’t-“   
“Now, now, now,” Joker said, holding a hand out in a calming manner. “I don’t want much, jussssssssssst… your voice.” He hissed, still grinning. Dick blinked, frowning.   
“My voice? But-“   
“Don’t worry about communication, sweetcheeks! You’ve got that pretty little face, and don’t forget about body language!”

  
Dick was still a bit uncertain, chewing on his lip.   
“But… what if-“ He was interrupted as Joker snarled, slamming a fist impatiently.   
“Come on, you poor unfortunate soul, go ahead! Make your choice! I'm a very busy man and I haven't got all day! It won't cost much. Just your voice! You poor unfortunate soul, it’s sad, but true. If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet, you’ve got to pay the toll. Take a gulp and take a breath  
And go ahead and sign the scroll!” Joker yelled, and Dick was overcome, taking a quill and signing his name in a daze. He blinked as he realised what he’d done, turning wide, scared eyes to his friends at the entrance of the cavern.

  
Joker was cackling, and for the first time, it sounded terrifying. He threw some things into the cauldron, taking Dick’s chin and turning him towards the potion.   
“Now… _sing_!”   
Dick did as he was told, accessing his song deep in his chest and singing, singing until he suddenly wasn’t anymore. His skin tingled and then burned as magic coursed through him. His fin was ripped open, and he screamed silently as they painfully transformed. He tried to breathe in, and found himself choking on the water he’d lived in his whole life.

  
Kaldur and Hal took his arms and started racing him towards the surface. He struggled to hold his breath, trying to move his new legs through the water. The edges of his vision started blacking out as the water above them got clearer. His chest burned with the need to breathe, his vision going even darker when suddenly he was above water, sucking in lungfuls of air and coughing on the water he’d swallowed.

  
Kaldur and Hal helped pull himself to shore, and he sat in the shallow water, staring at himself.

  
He had legs.

  
He was a _human_.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Bruce had seen his son breakdown as he left the cave, but at the time his anger and fear had still been to fresh to deal with it. By the time he was back to the palace however, he was almost sick with worry. He’d never seen one of his children hurt like that, and for him to have been the one that caused it…

  
Coming to a quick decision, he started hunting down his eldest. Damian would know what to do, the only person who knew Dick better was Kaldur. It took him longer than he’d like to admit, disoriented by his feelings, but he did eventually find him alone in the training room.   
“Father.” The young man greeted, frowning as he took in the state of him. “What’s wrong?”   
“I…” Bruce hesitated. Damian had long ago learned that he wasn’t perfect the way he’d thought for most of his childhood, but actually admitting he’d fucked up this badly was…

  
“What happened?” Damian prompted again, making Bruce run a hand over his face.   
“Dick was going up to the surface. I told him I wouldn’t hear of it anymore, but I… He saved a human from drowning.” Despite how conflicted he was, the words still came out in distaste. “When I found him he had this… cave, filled to the brim with more human things. He told me he’d _fallen in love_ with a human. I lost my temper, destroyed his… collection, I guess. I made him cry.” He put a hand to his head as he cut himself off, grabbing at his hair. “I just wanted to keep him safe from those creatures, but I-“   
“You did it the wrong way.” Damian finished, sighing sharply through his nose. “I’ll go find Richard, I know the cave he goes to. No, I didn’t know he kept human things there. I’ll talk to him.”

  
Damian swam for the exit, but paused, turning back towards Bruce.   
“Richard loves you. I’m sure he’ll forgive you, even if he is angry for a while.” He assured, sending Bruce just the slightest quirk of a smile.   
“I’ll be back soon.”

  
Bruce found the rest of his children in the shared living room, sitting with them as Jason and Tim described their trip out to the coral reef. Stephanie asked him to braid her hair, and he sighed softly, but couldn’t help but indulge her. Duke and Cass were working on something together, and Bruce was content for now, to just sit here with his children and wait for Damian to come back with Dick.

  
The more time passed, the more concerned Bruce got, but it was fine. Damian knew what he was doing. Despite what had happened, Dick was an adult now. They were fine. Everything would be just fine.

  
Damian came back after two hours, looking panicked.

  
“I can’t find Dick anywhere.” 

**Author's Note:**

> So here’s part one, I’ll try and have part two up as soon as possible! 
> 
> Once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORGAN!!! 
> 
> And if you guys have any thoughts, PLEASE let me know in the comments. I literally live and breathe for comments you guys.


End file.
